Toward sustainable educational travel

In the past decade, sustainability and global citizenship have emerged as two of the most prominent themes in contemporary higher education. Literature that specifically merges the two themes has, however, lagged behind. This paper integrates the literature from the fields of sustainable tourism and educational travel in order to articulate relevant concepts and to summarize theoretical and empirical approaches for improving the sustainability of educational travel programs. While most of the literature focuses upon carbon-related issues, a more comprehensive assessment and implementation would focus on the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, environmental, and socio-cultural. This paper advocates several practical measures, such as the incorporation of sustainability into program mission statements, the training of travel leaders in all three dimensions of sustainability, and the implementation of sustainability-related assessment measures for educational travel programs. Further, we argue that maintaining critical scholarly engagement with broader theoretical frameworks is necessary to contextualize these practical and empirical approaches, and to reassess the potential benefits and negative impacts associated with educational travel.     

Teaching around the world for 106 days: my Semester at Sea experience

ABSTRACT

Traveling and teaching around the world for 106 days sounds adventurous or even romantic. The Semester at Sea (SAS) program introduces students to many different cultures through coursework and intensive in-country experiences with the aim of cultivating global citizenship. From the collaborative learning atmosphere that results from the unique relationships developed outside the classroom to the deep learning that occurs when students must put what they have theorized in class into practice in foreign countries. The SAS experience is more than the sum of its ports; it is like living on another campus for a semester and the interplay of varied shipboard and port experiences influence students toward a more comprehensive global perspective. This paper will describe the overview of SAS program and share my experience as a faculty member teaching for SAS program.     

Affective learning in short-term educational travel abroad: An exploratory mixed-method study

Employing an exploratory mixed-method approach, this research explores young adults' affective learning outcomes derived from their short-term educational travel abroad experiences. Different from previous travel research mostly focusing on the educational benefits of cognitive knowledge and technical skills, the current research highlights the prominent effect of educational travel on young adults' personal growth and attitudinal/emotional development by investigating the understudied domain of affective learning and how it manifests among college students having short-term study abroad experiences. Through a systematic review and a follow-up survey-based comparison study, five salient affective learning variables were identified—perspectives on global interdependence, intercultural attitudes, openness to diversity and challenge, environmental attitudes, and general self-efficacy. Furthermore, this research found that travelers’ lower-order affective learning shows significant progress after the short-term educational overseas travel. This study contributes to a niche topic in tourism research and provides implications to promote educational travel as an effective transformative learning approach.     

Corporate social responsibility reporting among European low-fares airlines: challenges for the examination and development of sustainable mobilities

African nations are caught in a web of alternatives to alleviate their massive debt burdens. This paper argues that among these alternatives, debt-for-nature swap programmes recently introduced in Africa have some potential towards economic growth through the vehicle of sustainable tourism. Tourism, which is now the world's largest industry, is a possible avenue toward providing the tone for conservation of both species and habitat and improving the lot of the affected local communities. Thus, while ecotourism or adventure tourism- the fastest growing sector of the industrycan be useful to conservation, it can, at the same time contribute to the course of economic development and help alleviate poverty.     

中国老年人出国旅游需求与制终——基于北京中老年人市场调查

老龄化背景下,出国旅游不仅关乎国家的国际利益,更关乎民生关怀、社会稳定。研究中国各类老龄群体出国旅游客源需求特征、制约因素。有助于这一市场前瞻性开拓的同时,更是为老年人谋福祉,有助于“健康老龄化”。文章运用主成分因子分析等方法对1044个中老年人有效样本的研究发现,比以往老年人更加积极的消费理念决定了当代及下一代老年人的出国旅游需求特征;除了自身、外在、惯常生活和消费理念制约因素以外,与中年人相比,老年人出国旅游更容易受到安全因素,特别是心理安全因素的制约;主观年龄与老年人出国旅游活动之间产生交互影响。满足中老年人的出国旅游意愿是其精神慰藉的重要途径。国家层面应尽快完善出境旅游统计调查制度。     

Understanding and modifying beliefs about climate change through educational travel

Understanding the factors that shape individuals’ beliefs about climate change is key to the development of effective climate change communication and education strategies. In this study, we test a path model of the social psychological antecedents of beliefs about climate change and evaluate the effectiveness of an educational travel program in changing them. Results show that environmental worldview and affective association with nature are two significant predictors of students’ belief in the occurrence of climate change. Gender was found to influence belief in an anthropogenic causation, while political orientation was a significant predictor of conviction that climate change is occurring. Regression analysis was used to test for changes in climate beliefs before and after participation in an educational travel experience, compared to a control group, using a quasi-experimental design. Results indicate participation strengthened climate change beliefs.     

Similarities and Differences of the Effect of Country Images on Tourist and Study Destinations

ABSTRACT

The present study attempts to determine whether students hold similar or different country images when they are “buying” study abroad programs and tourism destinations. This article also tries to investigate similarities and differences in the brand personality perceptions of countries when they are considered as tourism and as study abroad destinations through the application of the brand personality characteristics model developed by Aaker (1997 Aaker, J. L. 1997. Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3): 347–356. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). A convenience sample of 360 students was split into two groups based on the motivation for visiting a specific country, whether for tourism or to participate in a study abroad program. The t test was used to calculate the significance of differences in country images between the two groups—those considering study abroad programs and those considering tourism destinations. The study concludes that the knowledge developed within the tourism context regarding images of countries may be applied to the context of study abroad programs.     

国外自驾游研究进展

随着国内自驾游的迅速发展,自驾游相关产业、目的地开发和游客管理实践都亟待理论与经验指引。文章对西方自驾游旅游研究进行梳理,从自驾游研究基础（概念与分类）、主要研究方向（游客调研、自驾游旅游线路、自驾游目的地、吸引物与服务设施）及自驾游的影响与管理等方面进行归纳和综述。研究表明,以自驾游为研究内容的旅游研究具有多学科参与的特点,并与汽车紧密相关;自驾游的多目的地性和驾驶愉悦性是自驾游的主要特点。     

Factors influencing visitor travel to festivals: challenges in encouraging sustainable travel

This paper examines how visitor travel-mode choices to festivals are formed and how sustainable travel could be encouraged. The empirical analysis focuses on Hay Festival of Literature and Arts using semi-structured interviews with visitors. Themes and topics explored through the interviews were informed by theories of travel behaviour. Findings highlight a range of external and internal factors influencing visitor travel-mode choices, which are closely interrelated. External factors reflect environmental elements related to the location and type of overnight accommodation, festival location, travel time and quality of public transport services. Internal factors include autonomy in travelling different routes and times, travelling with young children, cost of travel and physical-health and mobility issues. An additional internal factor was routine use of the car and extension of this behaviour when travelling to the festival. Based on the consolidation of the empirical findings, this paper also proposes a new theoretical framework for capturing a more comprehensive understanding of event related travel decisions. To encourage further sustainable travel, festival organisers and policy makers should not only focus exclusively on travel time and cost but consider a wider array of factors that are unique to festivals and their geographic locations.     

How to catch their attention? Taiwanese flashpackers inferring their travel motivation from personal development and travel experience

Backpackers first appeared in the seventeenth century. The twenty-first century has witnessed the rise of a new backpacker subculture given the changing times: one that is closely related to technology use is called flashpackers. The research discussed in this article explores the relationships between travel experience, personal development, and travel motivation of flashpackers. The study uses convenience sampling taken in the lobby of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. A total of 400 questionnaires were issued and 375 valid questionnaires were recovered; the rate of return was 93.8%. The results of this study are the following: (1) there are differences between travel experience and travel motivation for Taiwan’s flashpackers; (2) there is a relationship between personal development and travel experience of Taiwan’s flashpackers; (3) there is a correlation between personal development and travel motivation for Taiwan’s flashpackers; and (4) personal development moderately affects the relationship between travel experience and travel motivation for Taiwan’s flashpackers. This study contributes to the tourism industry by enhancing direct targeting of customers, and it provides hospitality and travel agency managers with the means to determine appropriate marketing strategies for flashpackers.     

Transformational learning through study abroad: US students’ reflections on learning about sustainability in the South Pacific

As leisure studies and higher education more generally embrace the themes of sustainability and global citizenship, it is important to investigate educational initiatives that purport to achieve these goals. Using transformational theory of transformative learning, this study examined the experiences of 150 US university students who participated in three interdisciplinary short-term study abroad programmes that focus on sustainability in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. The programmes are highly experiential with the curriculum structured around modules targeted at a particular destination, visited on a specific programme. At the conclusion of the programmes, the students were asked to reflect on their experiences in response to four open-ended questions. The data were coded by the research team, and guided by the tenets of sustainability and transformative learning theory. Four themes were identified: a new sociocultural understanding; a new connection with the natural world; economic considerations; and making changes. The findings provide insights into some ways US students have been introduced to the need for, and importance of, sustainable practices in daily life. In turn, support is provided for the supposition that programmes that are highly experiential and involve critical reflection have the potential to shift students’ worldviews.     

College Students' Perceptions and Attitudes Toward the Selection of Study Abroad Programs

The number of U.S. students who participated in study abroad programs has increased by 5% in the past decade. The main goal of this study is to understand the motivations and attitudes of students toward the selection of study abroad programs. Approximately 600 undergraduate students from a land-grant university in the Southeastern U.S. were randomly invited to participate in this study. Participants were approached at the 2 main entrances of the campus library due to its popularity, accessibility, convenient location, and diverse uses. A total of 192 usable surveys were collected in fall 2005. The survey instrument included three sections: (a) students' behaviors during their leisure trips, (b) students' perceptions toward study abroad programs and during an on-site trip, and (c) demographic profiles. Based on the results, promotional strategies for study abroad programs should highlight summer programs lasting 2 to 4 weeks. Opportunities for touring and social contact at low prices are also attractive to students. As study abroad programs become more popular among American students, the results of this study will be useful for institutions that have an interest in promoting student exchange programs. The results of this study can assist study abroad program marketers in promoting positive images of host destinations and providing better services for both receiving and generating institutions.     

Industrial tourists' behavioral intention toward slow travel in Taiwan

Taiwan has experienced rapid growth in the last decade, especially in the number of international tourists and domestic leisure travelers it receives. In response to pressures to minimize the negative environmental impacts of such visits (i.e. greenhouse gas emissions) and reshape the notion of sustainable destinations, since 2010 the concept of slow travel has been promoted by governments and the tourism industry. Consequently, calls to expand programs connecting various destinations (e.g. the establishment of industrial tourism) using slower modes of transportation have begun to emerge. In an effort to elucidate the key factors that motivate a traveler's intention to engage in slow travel, this study has constructed a research model that incorporates slow travel's three core elements: the mode of slow travel, tourism experience and environmental consciousness. Particularly, this study has focused on industrial tourists who typically rely on cars to reach destinations that have become new tourism hotspots. The quality of the transportation mode (i.e. a shuttle bus) and the tourism experience were found to be the most powerful determinants of their intentions. This study provides important information to practitioners seeking to market slow travel as a form of sustainable tourism and an alternative to conventional leisure.     

中国城市“一日游“分析模型构建及其实证研究

我国大多数居民的收入水平决定了其旅游行为应当以“一日游“为主要旅游形式,而传统的旅游方法对此却难以进行准确回答.因为有关涉及“一日游“主要指标信息的采集、提取和估计长期成为我国旅游统计中的重要难题之一.本文以国家旅游局和国家统计局多年积累的重要的抽样调查统计资料和报表统计资料为基准,根据其中的旅游统计指标之间的逻辑关系建立了试图比较准确地反映我国城市“一日游“主要统计指标信息的数学模型,并以旅游城市厦门为例进行了实证研究.     

越南旅游业快速发展的基本现状分析

越南自1986年改革开放以来，旅游业飞速发展，成为越南经济增长点，也是一个让越南进一步融入世界的桥梁。越南旅游业得到政府的高度重视，制定出一系列有效可行的旅游业发展的措施，并不断发展和完善旅游交通业、旅行社业和旅馆业，保障旅游业的稳定发展，目前虽仍有不少困难，但因拥有自身的发展优势，必将成为亚大地区重要国际旅游目的国之一。     

论旅行社管理比较研究的体系与方法

本文以探索各国旅行社发展与管理的一般规律和特殊规律为目的,尝试性地综合运用比较管理学、比较经济学和旅游学的理论和方法,结合国内外旅行社发展与管理的理论与实践,从管理理念、发展进程与变迁模式、宏观管理体制、微观运行机制和发展趋势等方面构建起旅行社管理比较研究的科学体系,并将比较法作为旅行社管理比较研究的最基本方法。     

Enhancing the study abroad experience: A longitudinal analysis of hospitality-oriented,study abroad program evaluations

Research suggests numerous benefits associated with studying abroad. Given the increasingly global nature of the world, it would seem that there is a significant need for international exposure; however, only 1.4% of U.S. students have studied abroad. This study examined program evaluations from 11 short-term undergraduate study abroad programs encompassing a span of 9 years. A total of 185 participants completed the survey using evaluations designed for program improvement, which were collected at the conclusion of each experience. Data were examined using a mixed-methods approach with the goal of identifying programmatic characteristics that contributed to increased student satisfaction. Results indicated that students' preferences were prioritized in terms of logistics, culture, and pleasure. In addition, the engagement and source of experience significantly influenced students' satisfaction with their study abroad experience, implying that students prefer programs with active components and local guides. Findings were examined in light of Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory.     

Measuring and managing the environmental impact of festivals: the contribution of the Ecological Footprint

This paper assesses the contribution of the Ecological Footprint as a method for estimating the environmental impact of festivals. It responds to calls for more rigorous methods to assess the environmental impacts of festivals, and contributes towards providing festival organisers and policy-makers with a more balanced evaluation of their outcomes. This paper focuses on the 2012 Hay Festival of Literature and Arts (Wales, United Kingdom), and describes how the Ecological Footprint was used to calculate the environmental impact of its visitors. It also considers the potential value of the Ecological Footprint as a method for evaluating alternative strategies designed to improve the environmental sustainability of festivals. The paper demonstrates that Ecological Footprint analysis can provide valuable information for festival organisers and policy-makers on factors influencing the scale of a festivals’ environmental impact, and the types of strategies needed to reduce the effect of visitor travel.     

Educational travel: The Overseas Internship

An important objective of educational travel programs is to teach students how to bridge cultural distance. Research remains inconclusive to what extent and under what circumstances students actually learn from educational travel experiences. This paper examines the influence of cultural distance on the perceived learning effects of the overseas internship, specifically cross-cultural competencies and management skills. It is shown that asymmetric cultural distance and psychic distance have a negative relationship with the perceived learning of management skills and interaction with locals. Students traveling to low-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia in particular tend to face difficulties.     

中外旅行社制度环境比较研究

旅行社运行的制度环境是一个国家的社会、政治、经济、文化特征所决定的政府行为在旅行社领域中的现实反映,是制约旅行社生长与发展的重要因素。本文从政府对旅行社业的宏观干预与微观规制、监管体系与运作机制等方面对中外旅行社发展的制度环境进行了系统的比较研究,并在此基础上对市场开放条件下中国旅行社制度环境的建设提出了对策与建议。